


A Helpless Feeling

by teenwolf24



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Scott, Beta Liam, Derek Hale Comforts Stiles Stilinski, Hurt Stiles, Sad Scott, Torture, abducted Liam, gerard - Freeform, sad alpha, suggested Sterek, young Liam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-10
Updated: 2016-10-21
Packaged: 2018-08-14 06:19:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8001667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teenwolf24/pseuds/teenwolf24
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Liam gets kidnapped, Scott turns on Stiles, then leaves him to die. Luckily Derek finds Stiles and helps him recover. Chris, Derek, stiles and Scott have to work together to find and save his beta. GERARDS BACK.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Attack.

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first ever post so I apologise if you don't like it! It's quite short because I have loads of revision I should be doing but oh well, I prefer this to maths. I'll stop rambling now and let you get on with reading it!  
> -ENJOY!  
> XOX

Chapter One;  
Stiles' POV;  
It was a Friday night, and Liam, Scott and I had gone to Derek’s loft to try and teach Liam a bit more control, as Scott repeatedly told me that he was lacking some will-power (which to me means that Liam sucks as a supernatural creature).  
It was really stormy and the wind was howling outside, fighting against the roar of the rain that pounded the huge window. Scott was attempting to teach Liam how to prevent his eyes changing in front of people. It wasn’t going well, but it was about to get worse. I’d just gone to steal some of Derek’s food from the fridge when I heard the front door slam open, followed by three gunshots. I hesitated for a split second before running into the front room. I was just in time to see Liam’s limp body slumped over two masked men, and the creak of the door as it closed gently behind them.  
I rushed over to Scott, who was lying on the floor in a slowly growing puddle of blood.  
‘Dude, wake up. We gotta go get your beta boy back,’ I said loudly, shaking his shoulders. In the distance, over the slowly dying noise of the storm, I heard the squeal of tyres, as Liam was driven speedily away.  
Scott murmured something before his eyes snapped open, a vibrant red light spilling from them. He jumped to his feet then swayed dizzily for a few seconds, then grabbed my arms and threw me against the wall. My head slammed against it and I bit my tongue, the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth.  
‘Scott, what the h-‘  
Scott lunged forward and sliced his claws down my arm in anger, three long red cuts running from my shoulder to my wrist, which all quickly began bleeding. I started shaking. Would Scott kill me?  
‘THIS IS YOUR FAULT!’ Scott yelled, his eyes still glowing red.  
‘How? I couldn’t have helped you, what would I have done? Knocked them out with a banana? Strangled them with spaghetti? I don’t have any superpowers Scott, I wouldn’t have made a difference.’ As I said this, I felt a bolt of pain shoot down my arm as the shock of his attack began to wear off. I grimaced and tried to keep my arm as still as possible. Blood dripped onto the floor in a steady stream of crimson.  
‘We’ve got to get Liam back. He’s been shot with wolfsbane, I could smell it. They shot him twice with it but they shot me with a silver one, I hit my head and blanked out for a few seconds.’  
‘Dude, if they got Liam with wolfsbane it was probably meant to be a message to you. Made any enemies recently?’ I asked him. Then I laughed, despite the situation we were in. ‘Oh yeah, the entire supernatural population of Beacon Hills is your enemy.’ I said sarcastically.  
Scott glared at me, and I felt the lure of his alpha powers as I took a step forward. My arm burned like lava and the edges of my vision blurred and darkened.  
‘Scott my arm, you gotta get some help. I think I’m gonna pass-‘  
And with that, the world went black and silent, an eternity of nothing. I heard the echo of Scott’s footsteps as he left me to die on the floor of Derek’s loft.

 

Derek's POV;   
As I took the steps up to my loft, I sensed something was wrong. Firstly, I could faintly smell the chemo signals for anger and panic. Secondly, I could smell blood- lots of blood.  
I noticed my door was already open, so I walked in. Straightaway, I could see the shaking silhouette of Stiles, curled up on the floor. I rushed over to him.  
‘Stiles, it’s me Derek, is anyone else here right now?’ Stiles shook his head.  
‘S’just me. Scott ring you?’ he asked, his voice small.  
‘Nobody rang me. Where’s Scott now?’  
‘Dunno. Do me a favour sourwolf?’ I looked at him pointedly, and he continued, ‘fix my arm. It feels like it’s gonna fall off if not.’  
I smiled, and scooped him into my arms. He whimpered and I tried to draw some of his pain, but there was so much I could only take a fraction of it without fear of dropping him. I lowered him onto the sofa then stood up to ring Deaton. He could help Stiles.

Ten minutes later the vet arrived, briefcase in hand. I showed him through to Stiles and Deaton sat on the edge of the sofa, careful not to jostle him.  
He opened his case and produced a pair of scissors which he used to cut the remainder of Stiles’ sleeve away.  
His wound looked awful, three long jagged lines ran down the entirety of his arm. Each mark was red and swollen, covered in dried blood. Deaton first wiped away the blood with an antiseptic wipe so we could see the wound cleanly. Every time the wipe touched his skin, Stiles jerked away from it.  
‘Pl- please stop. It h-hurts too much,’ he whispered. When Deaton was finished cleaning, Stiles began trembling, I reached out to comfort the injured boy, but he scrambled away from me, eyeing me wearily.  
‘What happened Stiles?’  
Stiles shook his head in response and I decided not to push it any further until he was calmer. Unfortunately, Deaton still had to stitch Stiles’ arm.  
* * * *  
After stitching Stiles’ arm, Deaton came out into the kitchen and told me that all had gone well. Only moments into the procedure, Deaton had asked me to leave, because Stiles seemed anxious around me. I still had to ask him what had happened. As the door closed behind the vet, I went back into the living room and sat on the floor next to the sofa, facing Stiles. As I looked him in the eye, he looked away suddenly, tears dripping down his face.  
‘Do you want to tell me what happened Stiles?’ I ask calmly. He nods hesitantly but still doesn’t say anything.  
I gesture towards his injured arm, ‘Deaton said it was from an alpha. Was it Scott?’  
Stiles stops sobbing long enough to shake his head frantically; from his scent, I can tell that he’s lying.  
‘Why would Scott do this to you?’ I’m shocked that McCall could do this to his best friend. Deep inside me, I feel a stirring of anger. I push it back down.  
The room is silent for a few seconds, just the sound of Stiles’ ragged breathing to remind me that time is passing.  
‘It was Scott,’ Stiles whispers. ‘Liam’s been taken.’  
‘By who?’ I press. Stiles shrugs, the winces as it strains his arm.  
‘He blames me. He just . . . he just turned on me, Derek. I couldn’t do anything to stop him.’ His voice quivers and just as I think he’s going to break down again, I surprise myself. I stand and walk over to lay down on the small sofa so I’m next to him. I drape my arm over his skinny frame and hold his head against my shoulder. He breathes in deeply and then continues talking, his voice muffled by my shirt and his tears soaking into it.  
‘I didn’t know what to do, Der,’ I smile at his nickname for me, then shake my head to clear it. ‘I’m sorry for acting weird earlier with Deaton. I don’t know if I’m ready to see Sc- him yet, and I didn’t want to be near an alpha so soon after . . .’ His voice trails off.  
‘It’s alright Stiles,’ I reassure him. ‘I won’t let Scott near you until you say you want to see him, okay?’  
I feel Stiles smile through my shirt, his lips soft against the cotton. ‘I knew you wouldn’t hurt me,’ he whispers.


	2. Scott's yellow flowers.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So we find out what's happening to Liam, and who took him. But most importantly (for me anyway) there's a section where Derek starts feeling protective towards Stiles, which is pretty damn cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so overwhelmed with how many hits I got yesterday, I thought I'd get about 50 hits but I actually got 400 in a few hours! THANK YOU SO MUCH and I hope you Chapter 2!  
> -ENJOY  
> XOX

Liam's POV;  
He wakes up in darkness. He shivers for a moment before closing his eyes, and when they open again, they are glowing a luminous gold. He looks around at the setting once again, now able to faintly make out the details. He carries on looking for a few minutes, before glancing round and yelling, "SCOTT! SCOTT HELP ME!" He takes a deep breath, looks up at the ceiling and then howls.  
The sound pierces the silent air, and bounces off the walls of the dingy room. By the sound echoing in the room, Liam is unsure of whether his howl made it out of the room. For the first time, he is aware of his wrists being shackled to the wall, and there is another metal restraint around his waist. He clenches his fists and small drops of blood run down the side of his hand as his claws penetrate the skin.  
With his enhanced hearing, Liam hears footsteps above him. He tilts his head, trying to figure something out, and after confirming that it isn't Scott, he lowers his head to face the floor.  
A lone tear drops silently down his cheek.  
There's the creak of a door and then the sound of someone coming down the stairs. In pitch black darkness, Liam can make out a dark silhouette and nothing more, even with his beta eyes open.

"Hello, young Liam," the voice says, walking slowly to stand next to him. From the tone of the voice, Liam knows it is a man.  
"What do you want?" Liam asks, voice hoarse from yelling and howling.  
"You are Scott McCall’s beta, yes or no?"  
"He'll find me. He always finds me." Liam says with as much menace as he can.  
"You are Scott McCall's beta," the man concludes.  
"Why? Why are you doing this? Who are you?" He tries to sound confident even though he’s petrified.  
"You'll learn," the man says, flicking a switch on the wall, "not to ask me questions, and to answer what I ask you to."  
The switch lights up the panel standing in front of the man, it is still too dark to make out the man's features, but he can see the male bend and turn a dial. The pain is instant.  
Liam cries out as a bolt of electricity shoots down both arms. Something within him snaps and he is plunged into complete darkness again. His instincts tell him that he cannot reach the wolf inside him.  
"Now, Liam, tell me why you are loyal to Scott McCall. Why you are loyal to the teenage boy who is responsible for so many deaths."  
"He helped me," Liam replies slowly, grimacing against the wave of pain he feels.  
"How?" The man presses.  
"He helped me learn control, taught me how to use my strength." Liam grits his teeth.  
"Then you know, Liam Dunbar that your 'alpha' is a killer."  
"Scott's not a killer," Liam says defensively.  
"He is. Thanks to him I've lost my granddaughter, my son's wife, and I may as well have lost my son to him," The man says bitterly.  
Liam is silent for a few seconds, then looks up.  
"Gerard," he whispers. He screams as electricity shoots through his entire body, and then he is numb.

 

Derek's POV;  
Things went really badly, really quickly.  
Stiles had finally fallen asleep when someone hammered their fist against the door. When I checked my watch, it was 3:07 in the morning. Stiles' eyes fluttered open and when he peered up at me anxiously, I was mesmerised by how amber they were. My stomach did a little flip, but I ignored it and got up to answer the door.  
As the door swung open, I opened my mouth to yell at the person for waking us up at this ungodly hour, but when I saw who it was, I stepped back. They clearly took this as an invitation to come in, so Scott McCall walked into my loft.  
The effect on Stiles was horrific, after all, he was truly shaken up after McCall had attacked him and left him to bleed out on the floor. Stiles shrunk back, curling himself up in a ball, his injured arm jolted and it began to bleed again. Although I was momentarily stunned by how petrified the boy was, I did then collect myself and go over to try and calm him down. Meanwhile, Scott just stood there clutching a bunch of yellow flowers, mouth hanging open as he realised how much trauma he'd caused his best friend.  
'Stiles, it's ok. I said I wouldn't let anyone hurt you didn't I? And I always keep my promises,' I pulled him to me, mindful of his arm and then ran my hand up and down his back. Everywhere my hand touched his bare skin I felt a tingle, but I'm sure I just imagined it. Once I was satisfied that the boy felt a little safer, I turned to Scott.  
'Get out. He doesn't want you near him, as you can see, and quite frankly, I don't want you near him either,’ I said, angrily.  
Scott still didn't move but he did finally speak, his voice quiet, as if he was in thought.  
'I know, I wouldn't either, but if I could just talk to him for a minute, please, Derek.'  
We both looked at Stiles, who whimpered when he met Scott's eye. I took it as a no, but then Stiles nodded once, slowly. I respected his decision so I sat on the end of the sofa defensively and Scott sat on the floor.  
'Stiles, I am so, so sorry. What I've done is unforgivable and I get it if you can't move on, I really do. It's just that I'm meant to be the alpha, I'm meant to look out for everyone, and Liam and Hayden had been taken before, and I couldn't stop them then and I couldn't stop them now. It gets to me, and I know that's no excuse but I'd really like it if we could just work together and find Liam.'  
Scott leant forward, and put his hand and Stiles' back, who cringed away. I growled at Scott, telling him to back off, and he did.  
Stiles, now smiling slightly, looked up and said, 'what are the flowers?'  
Realisation dawned on me as I sniffed the air, so I answered at the same time as Scott: 'Wolfsbane,' and then Scott continued on his own, 'Someone left me the rare yellow Wolfsbane on my doorstep, I didn't think it was clue until I went and checked the bullet I was shot with. Silver. An Argent took Liam, and I think it, might have been Chris.' Stiles and I blinked in surprise.  
'Chris?'  
'Yeah, so I thought we could go and pay him a visit?'  
I looked at Stiles who nodded, I turned back to Scott.  
'We're in.'


	3. Gerard hits nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam gets interrogated and the pack heads off to 'location two' in Chris' flashy car.  
> Your kudos mean so much and any comments are welcome!  
> -ENJOY  
>  XOX

Liam's POV;  
He is numb for what feels like forever. After a certain point the pain gets too much, and his body slowly shuts down, protecting itself.   
Gerard enjoys telling Liam about the fine balance of power the Argent family has mastered, this level to prevent changing, this level to make them scream, this level to kill someone, painfully and slowly.  
Gerard particularly enjoys lingering his hand over that level, watching the fear crawl over Liam's young features.  
Gerard walks back in smiling. Since he first realised who it was, Gerard has been keeping the lights on. Liam thinks that he revels in watching his pain.  
'Hello again, young Liam.'   
Liam stays silent.  
'Has Scott found you yet?'   
Liam stays silent, although he is desperate to defend his alpha.  
'Are they even looking for you?'   
Liam stays silent, despite the pain that question causes him. It's moments like this that Liam wonders what hurts the most; physical or emotional.  
'What sort of greeting do you call this, young Liam? Surely you were raised to respect your elders?' Gerard says, chuckling. When Liam doesn't reply, he walks over to the electricity panel.

The panel has a range of 10. It is constantly on 6, which is enough to contain the wolf, and inflict horrendous pain all the time. Liam works hard not to scream in agony. He doesn't want to give the bastard the satisfaction. Gerard wafts his hand over the buttons, then settles on 8. He rests his hand next to the button.  
'All you have to say is, "Hello, Uncle Gerard," that's all you have to say, young Liam.' Since he realised that Gerard was, well . . . Gerard, Liam has been encouraged to think of him as an uncle. "Looking after him like another family member", is what Gerard always tell him. Ha.  
Liam refuses to say anything. Gerard waits patiently for another few seconds, then presses 8. Liam squirms, biting down on his tongue hard. Gerard laughs maniacally, watching Liam like a proud parent, then presses 6 again, reluctantly. 6 is extremely painful, but Liam could almost sigh with relief.   
'Say it, Liam.'  
'Hello, Uncle Gerard.' Liam whispers, exhausted.  
'I can't hear you,' Gerard says, in a sing-sing voice. He's enjoying this.  
'Hello, Uncle Gerard.' Liam says slightly louder.  
'There we go.'  
'Now, I have a few questions about Scott McCall, and my hand is just itching to have a go of button 9. Any excuse to use will do!' Gerard says happily. 'So, if someone was looking to hurt the boy, what would do it best? Physical or emotional?'  
Emotional. But he wasn't going to tell Gerard that. If Gerard wanted to kill Liam, then he was going to protect Scott until his last breath.  
'Please don't hurt Scott,' he says, as loudly as he can.  
'That wasn't what I asked.'  
'Physical,' Liam says.  
Gerard walks over to him and leans in his ear. His breath is warm against his skin but Liam shakes regardless- he is petrified.  
'Liar,' Gerard hisses, then walks over to the panel and slams his fist onto 9.  
Liam screams and screams, he yells Scott’s name as loud as he can, and then just continues screaming until he can't breathe. He is sobbing and shaking and screaming and slowly starting to shut down, protecting himself, as the pain gets too much and he is numb for what feels like forever.

 

Stiles' POV;  
As we drive to Chris’s house, I couldn’t help but ask again, ‘Chris? Really?’  
Scott replies with the same answer he’s used the other six gazillion times I’ve asked, ‘Yes, Stiles. Chris. The wolfsbane and the silver bullet both point to him.’  
‘Motive?’ Derek asks Scott from the passenger seat next to me.  
‘That’s what we’re here to find out, and remember, we CANNOT leave until we have Liam back. I know we thought that Chris was on our side, but he is a hunter. We also know what he’s capable of, Liam doesn’t.’ I nod in agreement with Scott, then shudder as I really start to think about what Chris Argent is capable of.  
* * * *  
Chris answers the door on the first knock, knowing him and his hunter abilities, he probably knew we’d come here before we did.  
‘Scott.’ Chris said, by way of greeting. The look on his face was unreadable as usual. He nodded to me and Derek, and we both nodded back. It was like bloody nod-language. Chris stepped aside and we all went inside.  
‘Where’s Liam?’ Scott growled as he turned to face Chris in the living room.  
‘How would I know where Liam is?’ Chris answered calmly. I noticed his facial features slip slightly, but it honestly looked more like concern than guilt.  
‘We know you took him, Chris,’ Scott retorted.  
‘Honestly, I’m not sure why anyone would want that boy but he is Scott’s so we kinda need him back,’ I said, trying to be helpful.  
‘I don’t have him. Listen to my heartbeat if you don’t believe me,’ he paused and Scott and Derek quieted to listen. Chris continued, ‘I don’t have him, I don’t know where he is, but I will help you find him if you’ll let me.’  
Scott and Derek looked at each other, and I sensed some kind of unspoken were-wolf conversation thing pass between them. Scott looked at Chris.  
‘OK. We believe you, but how do you explain this?’ He pulled out the wolfsbane and bullet from his back pocket.  
‘The only place I know that has that species of wolfsbane is the Argent vault. My vault. That bullet is also an Argent’s, but I’m the only one with that bullet mould. Unless . . .’ He trailed off looking concerned.  
‘Unless what?’ I asked.  
‘Nothing, nothing.’ Chris muttered.   
‘You’re lying,’ Scott and Derek replied at the same time.  
‘What?’ I asked again, not having any supernatural abilities. Chris hesitated, then looked me in the eye.  
‘Gerard,’ he said, bitterly.   
* * * *  
An hour later we were sitting around his dining table with a huge map of Beacon Hills, it was very detailed, and looked like the lay line map we’d used to try and protect Liam and Hayden the first time, except this one didn’t have the lay lines on it.  
Chris had circled three locations with a big red marker. They represented an area that he believed Gerard may be keeping Liam hostage.  
When Chris had first explained Gerard’s reappearance, we’d been shocked. He’d explained that his father had been living in a home that specialised in terminal cancer, but Chris had brought him the yellow wolfsbane which has powerful healing properties, in return for every bit of information, story, and belief about the dread doctors. Chris knew that he should have told us first, but he was only trying to help us defeat the dread doctors.   
The first location on the map was the Hale vault. Derek was adamant that he would know if Gerard was using his vault as his personal torture chamber for baby betas, but Scott reminded him that he rarely entered the vault, and now that Peter was gone, he was realistically the only person who would go into it.  
The second location was a smaller Argent warehouse. I argued that a warehouse would be too easy, and people would be able to hear Liam if he was shouting. I didn’t want to say screaming because I knew it would upset Scott, but that was what I meant. Chris replied by saying that the warehouse was a perfect place to keep someone; not only was it in the middle of nowhere, but it also had a soundproof basement. No words were spoken, but we knew instantly that this would be the area we checked for Liam first.  
The final location was the larger Argent warehouse, where Scott and Chris had found Kate, and then had later used it as a safe place for Brett’s pack. We didn’t believe Liam would be there, but we kept it circled in case the first two locations showed no sign of Scott’s beta boy.  
We decided to check the second location first, and left straight away in Chris’s flashy car because it was a four hour drive and Roscoe would probably break down about six hundred times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any comments welcome!


	4. Don't fool yourself.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally track down Liam and Gerard.  
>  -ENJOY  
>  XOX

Liam's POV;  
9 is on for what feels like forever to Liam. After he finished screaming, which went on for a very long time, he went silent. He is still silent now. He is not even moving, and feels as if he may never move again. What should be searing pain, is a dull ache that emanates from his heart to skin, crawling over bone and through blood, until all he feels now is absolutely nothing. He knows he should be grateful that his body is sparing him from the pain, but he almost wishes he could feel it. How bad must pain be if your body has to hide it from you?  
Liam’s head is down, facing the floor, and his eyes have glazed over.  
He looks dead.  
He feels dead.  
Gerard strolls back into the room, but Liam still doesn’t move. Gerard walks right up to Liam, and slap him across the face. His head jerks back from the impact of Gerard’s hand, but then it slowly moves back to staring at the floor. For a moment, Gerard looks like he is trying not laugh, and then he gathers himself.  
‘Liam, I have come to an important decision,’ Gerard announces. Liam still looks at the floor, his eyes not moving, not blinking.   
Frustrated at the lack of response from Liam, Gerard quickly presses number six with his index finger. Liam sags slightly, as if a great weight has been lifted, but still remains unresponsive.  
‘I have decided that when Scott comes to rescue you, as I have no doubt that he will, I am not going to kill him.’  
Liam turns his head mechanically, and stares at Gerard with his dead eyes. He blinks slowly, once.  
‘Instead, I will allow him to watch me slowly and painfully torture you to death.’ Liam’s head rolls back down to face the floor, except this time, two lonely tears make their way gingerly down Liam’s cheeks. It is the only response he shows. He remains unresponsive to the rest of what Gerard says about the ways in which he will inflict pain on Liam’s too-young body.  
He does not want Scott to see him like this; he had wanted Scott to think he could handle anything.  
But look at him.  
He may as well be dead.  
Maybe Scott wouldn’t care anyway. In fact, Scott might be relieved. Liam thinks about all the times he had needed Scott, but he realises now that maybe Scott didn’t need the hassle of a beta that required so much of his time and effort. Without Liam holding him back, maybe Scott would be free.  
Gerard continues discussing torture techniques with himself. He also talks about how loud Liam will scream. Liam remains shackled to the wall, gazing at the floor, wondering if Scott will care about him being in pain.

 

Stiles' POV;  
The car journey seemed to take forever. Scott and Chris sat up front, which left me and especially-sour-sourwolf next to each other in the back. My back ached from sitting hunched over for nearly four hours, so I tried to loosen it by twisting around and massaging it my hand. Nothing seemed to work.   
Derek appeared to notice my lack of success, but instead of telling me to give up he said, ‘Take your shirt off.’  
‘Well normally I’d be honoured if someone so hot,’ Derek’s eyes widened in surprise, ‘asked me to take my shirt off but-‘  
‘Not like that. I meant so I can ease your back up.’ Derek answered, looking awkward.  
‘You gonna take my pain?’  
‘No. I’m going to rub your back for you. You’re doing a horrible job of it.’ He said, matter-of-factly.  
‘Oh. Um, ok then.’ I swivelled round slightly in the car seat, and Derek placed his hands on my lower back. I felt goose bumps wherever his hands touched my skin, and prayed to god that his were-wolf senses wouldn’t pick up on it. I must have cringed because I could almost hear him grin when he saw my reaction.  
‘Feeling better?’ He asked mockingly.  
‘Yeah, a tiny bit, I guess.’ I felt his claws start to come out and gently rub my skin.  
‘Mmmhh,’ I sighed. His claws lightly scratched my back as he began to move his hands in small circles. I jerked away. Derek pulled his hands away in a ‘surrender’ gesture. Scott turned around to look at us. I think he smelt my fear, or my anxiety. Or both.  
‘What happened?’ Scott asked me, looking at my naked upper body and then Derek’s claws.  
He looked at Derek, ‘What did you do to him?’ Scott demanded.  
‘I don’t think it was me,’ Derek replied accusingly. ‘Smell his chemo signals.’  
‘Don’t.’ I said quickly. Reading my signals felt a massive invasion of my privacy. Also, I didn’t want Scott to know how I was feeling. I wasn’t scared of Derek, I was scared of Scott.  
Scott ignored me and peered at my pale, shaking frame, anxiously sniffing the air.  
‘You’re scared of me?’   
‘Der’s – I mean Derek’s claws felt like yours. Last night.’ I mumbled. I felt like there was no oxygen left in the car.  
‘We’re here.’ Chris said, breaking into our silence before Scott had a chance to say anything.  
I clambered out of the claustrophobic car and gulped at the air.  
After a moment of just standing there and breathing, I looked at our surroundings. We were in a dry, sparse desert-like field. I couldn’t see any fences but I presumed that there must be a fence somewhere. The warehouse itself was more like a large shanty house. The walls were long narrow beams of faded oak. The protective coating had obviously eroded away quite a while ago if the wood stains and holes were anything to go by. The roof was made of numerous corrugated iron sheets, but over time they had adjusted and created gaps between the sheets. I couldn’t see a door from where I stood and guessed there would be one on the other side of the ‘building’.   
It looked like the perfect place to kidnap someone.  
It looked like a place you went to die.

* * * *

The inside was no better. Buckets were scattered on the floor half full with water that still dripped from the roof. Various bits and pieces littered worktops and tables but it looked like there was no official purpose of the warehouse. A trapdoor in the centre of the room hinted at the entrance to the basement.  
We all saw it and Scott lifted the heavy-looking door with ease. He descended the stairs first, with Derek behind him, followed by Chris and then me at the back. The stairs creaked ominously beneath our feet and we reached the bottom of the stairs we were shocked at how bright it was. Chris and I took a few seconds to adjust to how dazzling the spotlights were.   
Except, I don’t think that was what shocked us, for in the middle of the back wall, was Liam.  
He was dead. His wrists and waist was shackled to the wall, and wires glimmered with power as electricity surged through them. His head had fallen to face the floor and his eyes weren’t blinking.  
There was nothing we could do. We were too late to save him.  
Scott fell to his knees, and Derek crouched next to him.  
Scott started crying, but it was more than that. He was sobbing. Scott McCall, alpha-extraordinaire, was sobbing.  
And that was when Liam blinked and gave us the first sign of life. Scott didn’t see it through his tears, but I shook him by the shoulders and pointed at Liam.  
‘He’s alive Scott! He’s alive! He blinked, look, look!’  
Liam blinked again, slowly, as if it pained him. Scott stared at him, mouth hanging open in shock. He got up and saw the electricity panel at the side.   
Derek went with him to see if they could turn it off.  
They didn’t see the wire.  
Scott’s foot pulled a small translucent wire that was connected to the ceiling. They both froze and turned to face the ceiling. Mountain ash fell from the ceiling trapping Scott and Derek in a small loop.  
A gun clicked, next to my head. I froze too. Gerard was next to me, seemingly having appeared from nowhere. He stood there patiently then spun me round so Chris could see me.   
Chris stood next to the basement stairs, but Derek and Scott were on the far side of the room, so he’s have to get past Gerard to let them out.  
‘Don’t move, son.’ Gerard said to Chris, who had his gun trained on Gerard.  
‘You know that I can kill this boy before that bullet has even left your gun Chris, don’t fool yourself.’  
‘Chris, please, put it away,’ Scott begged him. Chris actually hesitated before deciding that he wouldn’t get me killed. How generous of him. Gerard pointed at the floor and Chris gently got to his knees, hands in the air.   
I heard Chris yell before I even realised that Gerard had pulled the trigger. Gerard had shot Chris in the arm.  
Chris yelled, and then slowly fell back. I think I may have screamed but I can’t remember. What I do remember, is wondering how Chris was killed by a shot to the arm. Gerard clearly read my mind because he then said, ‘It’s only a tranquiliser, and he’ll be fine in an hour or two.’ But the way he said it chilled me. He spoke the same tone that people used when they spoke about the weather. Gerard fiddled around in his back pocket and pulled a pair of handcuffs out. He gestured to my arm, and I held it out hesitantly. I couldn’t take him down. No way José.  
He clicked it round my wrist and then tugged me roughly to where Liam was shackled. I pulled back, but he was actually stronger than me. He pushed me onwards, next to Liam, who was still chained up to the wall.  
Gerard pulled out a small metal receiver and tucked one end into the handcuffs, he then handed a small button to Liam, who merely opened his fingers slightly, still looking at the floor with his dead eyes.  
‘Well, young Liam, as you can see, I have handed you a button. These wires are channelled to bring every vault of electricity straight to you. As long as you don’t press that button, Mr Stilinski will be fine. However, should the pain get too much, or you wish to share the experience with your friend, press that button and the power will split, so you will have only have as much pain, but Mr Stilinski will receive the other half of that electricity. Isn’t that nice! I would also like to remind you that one of you is a supernatural creature, meaning you have a higher pain threshold and the ability to heal. One of you doesn’t.’  
‘What do you want Gerard?’ Scott shouted at him. ‘It doesn’t have to be like this, we can help you.’  
Gerard turned to face Scott.  
‘You really want to help me?’   
Scott nodded.  
‘The only thing that will help me is seeing your loved ones suffer like I have watched mine. Hearing your beta begging for you to help him. Hearing your best friend screaming in pain. Watching you realise that all of their suffering is on you. That will help me, Scott McCall.’  
‘I already know their suffering is on me Gerard, I’ve heard Liam ask for my help when I can’t give it to him. I’ve put Stiles through so much and every day that tears me up,’ whilst Scott continued talking I felt a small pile of books behind the wall I was tied to. I knocked one off the top and it landed quietly on the floor. Gerard didn’t notice it. I angled it to face the mountain ash circle that still trapped Scott and Derek. I’d have to wait for Gerard to move but if I could it hard enough, I’d be able be break the circle and hopefully they could use the book to brush some of the ash away.

Then Liam starts screaming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any comments/ kudos welcome!


	5. Pack Mates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the great escape (ooo-err)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I just say a HUGE thank you because I honestly thought everyone would hate this (shoutout to everyone who did hate it but didn't tell me- I love you for your consideration) but you've all been so lovely! THANKS AGAIN and I hope this ending will be enough for you!

Liam's POV;

He can see what Stiles is going to do, and he knows that Stiles is smart enough to get it to work. Liam wants to help but he still can’t feel anything, all he can see is the floor below him and to tear his eyes away from where he always seems to end up staring, would require monumental effort. He knows that he needs to cause a distraction, but something that he can do realistically. His energy’s all but gone, but he thinks that if he can scream, something that he hopes won’t need much movement, maybe Gerard will revel in his reaction and Stiles can break the circle.

What was the promise Liam made to himself?

If he was going to die, he’d die helping Scott.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Gerard walk over to the panel and press a button.

He screams as loud as he can, he feels the noise pouring out of him like lava, hot and steady. He is aware of Derek pulling Scott’s head protectively to his chest to try and block out a small proportion of the noise. He feels Scott’s tears soaking into Derek shirt, he feels Stiles turning away from him. He feels Gerard clap his hands together in glee, and he finally feels Stiles kick the book.

He stops screaming and everything is silent as his eyes glaze over again.

He head falls back to stare at the floor.

He hears Derek pick up the book and use it to fan the mountain ash away. He leaps out of the opening and slams Gerard’s head against the wall, he falls to the floor unconscious. Derek switches the panel off, but Liam remains frozen. Scott gathers himself and takes the handcuff key out of Gerard’s pocket and lets Stiles free, before ripping Liam’s wrist shackles and getting Derek to help him split the waist restraint open.

Liam collapses into Scott’s arms and Scott gently lowers himself to the floor, Liam still in his arms.

* * * *

‘Liam, buddy you’re ok,’ I say wrapping my arms protectively around my beta. Stiles is on the phone to my mum, whose trying to help us bring Liam back to reality.

Derek rushes back into the basement with two bottles of water he got from the car, he tosses one bottle to me and sloshes a bit of his over Chris as he slowly wakes up. Liam is alive, of that there is no doubt, but he doesn’t seem to be living, if that makes sense. He won’t take the water bottle from me, but when I open it and place it against his lips, he drinks slowly, then pulls back when he is finished.

‘Your mum thinks it’s some kind of out-of-body experience, she says it’s the body’s way of protecting itself from harm. We have to help him back to his body.’

‘ _How?_ How do we get him back, Stiles?’ I ask, trying not to sound like I’m begging.

I hear him ask my mum and then he turns to face me, he looks uncomfortable.

‘She says pain will also bring him back, as long as it is short and sharp, not long enough to make his mind drift further away, just enough to snap him back to reality.’ I nod in response, and lean Liam up against the wall. I stretch my hand back, and catch Stiles grimace, as I then swiftly slap Liam across the cheek.

First, his eyes snap open.

Then, he gasps for air.

Finally, he moves forward and envelopes me in a crushing hug.

Several moments later we pull apart, Liam wraps his arms around himself, as if protecting himself from further harm.

‘Liam, you’re safe now, he can’t hurt you anymore.’ Liam doesn’t answer, he just sits back on his haunches and rocks backwards and forwards, eyes frantically scanning every inch of the basement. His eyes return to mine, and my heart breaks. My beta is _fifteen_. No one of that age should ever have to go through this torture. Literally.

‘I’m sorry,’ I whisper. ‘I’m so sorry, Liam.’

‘It’s not your fault Scott,’ Stiles says. ‘Gerard’s a nutcase.’

Liam flinches at Gerard’s name. I reach out to him, and pull him into my arms, gently, so as not to startle him.

‘I want to leave here, Scott, please can we go?’ Liam asks quietly, his eyes gazing up at me pleadingly.

‘Of course we can, anything you want, just drink a bit more of the water, okay?’ He nods in reply and sips the water, then realises how thirsty he is and starts chugging it down. I smooth his hair away from his forehead and smile. He’s safe. We rescued my beta.

After a few moments of Liam drinking we get up to leave, Derek supporting Chris up ahead of us. I walk behind them, with Liam and Stiles. When we get outside, I hug them both tightly. This is how it should be, I think to myself.

Me, my beta, and my best friend. My pack mates.

  * THE END



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you thought! (I do very much hope you liked the ending!)


End file.
